In Which the Yakuza is a Lover
by LightlesShadow
Summary: So 7 years ago, a fire blew up a house and separated 2 people. That's just perfect, one gets recruited into the Yakuza while the other is living in an orphanage. Then comes the player that is supposedly monitoring their progress. Then comes the best friend who hates the player. Here comes the kids along with a boy with an eyepatch. Then, rolls the gears of deception.
1. Stained 1: Mission Impossible

**__****In Which the Yakuza is a Lover**

******Stained 1: Mission Impossible**

He aimed the M-40A3 at the target. His telescopic sight locking into place as the target merely laughed and drank his wine contently. The restaurant had a crimson glow to it since nearly everything was red, nearly. The curtains were red, the cloths that covered the tables were red, the seats were red, the uniforms that the waiters and waitresses wore were red, the forks and other utensils were silver, and the plates were white.

Underground business meant money. Stashes of money bags were always pumping into the underground economy and people got their money by doing the favors of others, for example, killing someone. He adjusted his M-40A3 at his target, the sniper was near the railing of the stairs and it was also red, he draped a simple red cloth around the sniper rifle so it was hidden from the eyes of other customers, and finally he pulled the trigger.

The whole restaurant was in panic when they heard the shot. The target laid there breathless with no pulse. One of his eyes dangled from the hanging limbs while the other was bloodshot. He got his bullet in the middle of the target's head, instant death, and the hole through the target's head was splattered with blood. Customers ducked and screamed when they saw the scene in front of them, another pair of customers covered her child's eyes while putting a hand to her mouth in shock. Another person called 911 all the while the sniper was taking his time packing his weapon which folded into a black box that someone could put stuff inside.

He stood up and smirked. His crimson eyes following the red doors to the balcony, the perfect escape. He slid open the hidden doors and a breeze of fresh wind greeted him in the darkness illuminated by stars. He jumped on top of the railing of the balcony, and instantly dove head first towards the ground. The wind rushed against his dark blue hair that curved upwards. He could feel his adrenaline screaming for more as the surroundings around him blurred. Instinctively, he pressed a button on a metal bracelet while diving to the ground. An arc spun itself against the lower floors of the building and and he held onto the metal rope. He measured the distance between the railing to the floor, twenty feet, and that was not all that bad. He jumped from higher places before. Positioning himself for a fall again, he could still feel the after effects of the adrenaline and smiled, again he dove for the ground.

* * *

She did her normal routine, buying food for the orphanage she was living in. The ground was wet and it smelled of fresh fish from a supermarket. A fisherman shouted at the best price of his fishes that laid helplessly on the ice with its eyes wide open but not moving. She stopped to look at the fishes, wondering if any kids in the orphanage would like it. Finally retreating herself to her instincts, she sighed and walked towards the shouting man.

He looked pretty young and old at the same time, the man was fit, wearing a bloodstained white apron, a white bandanna and he had the perfect white teeth that anyone wanted, his gray hair was trimmed, and his brown eyes showed excitement and anticipation. "Missy! Which do you want?!" he asked excitedly as he showed his fishes like they were some sort of precious treasure. She browsed through the selection of fish and then looked at the owner.

"Which do you recommend?" she asked and the owner smiled.

He showed her the biggest fish in the selection and held it up by its tail, it was half the size of him. "These kind of salmons are rare these days! Fresh from the sea and mighty delicious!" he exclaimed happily.

"How much does it cost?" she asked, a sense of dread came over her about the pricing.

"Usually around 20 bucks for a pound but since you're the first customer I'll give you a discount of 50%!" he exclaimed and she jumped up in excitement.

"Okay!" she shouted happily. "A pound of salmon, please!" she exclaimed and the man happily went to his chopping board and took out a large knife. He placed the huge fish on the board and cut a small quarter of the salmon. He placed it into a clear plastic bag and onto the scale to measure it, exactly one pound. "Ten bucks!" he exclaimed and she happily gave him the money.

She took the salmon and immediately thought of all of the smiling faces when they heard that there was going to be fish for tonight and it wasn't any kind of fish but salmon! She carried the bags of vegetables and salmon all the way to the orphanage and was warmly greeted by the orphans there. They jumped on her and smiled.

The orphanage was a big space with white walls plastered with all kinds of kid drawings and warm smiles in pictures, there was a water dispenser with the selection of either hot or cold, and chairs of different assorts scattered all over the place. The orphanage also had a lot of rooms for the kids living inside it.

"What did you buy, onii-chan?!" happily asked a little girl wearing a flower on the side of her hair.

She showed her the pound of salmon that she bought and the tasty apples and pears. "With rice?!" the little girl asked excitedly.

She smiled and nodded her head.

"Yay!" the little girl shouted in happiness and ran off to play when another orphaned boy called her.

"That a lot that you carried today!" exclaimed an elder. She nodded and put all of the things in the refrigerator before going to the backyard. A whole field of plants, wildflowers, daises, and in the middle of it all stood a longan tree. When one walked through these doors, their breath was taken away instantly by the beauty of the garden. They felt like they were at ease and in paradise. The garden wasn't littered and it was very clean, with patches of green grass growing in some places.

She walked towards the logan tree and picked at some of the logans clinging to the tree. She observed it and the brown covered fruit was relatively small. She smiled at the pace of how the logans were growing. Everyone is going to eat the best fruit in the world soon! She thought and happily attended to the other beauties of the backyard.

* * *

He stood straight and firm as the old man checked his report and smiled. "Hugh, once again, you never fail to impress me," he said with that warm smile of his. Hugh just nodded his head but did not say anything as the man continued to check his report. Finally getting tired of acting professional, he leaned against the wall in the dimmed lit room with only the small light and the candle on and folded his arms. While waiting, he looked around the room, as usual, the huge wooden desk where his master sat looked as new as ever, the floor was carpeted a purplish color, and there was a grandfather clock that stood on the left hand corner ticking away.

He observed the man as he continued to look through the report and flipped through the pages. His master, or the old man as he called it, was the leader of the Shiro Clan. He always wore a brown suit and underneath was a white uniform along with a black tie, he had the face of an elder, and had a big stomach. The man's brown eyes widen when he read a particular part.

"You shot him right in the middle of the head?" he asked, surprised by Hugh's precision in using the M-40A3.

"Yes, sir," Hugh answered. The old man put the report down and then opened one of his wooden drawers. He smiled contently before taking out a file. He put it on the desk and slid it to Hugh. "This would be your mission," the old man said.

"Another one so soon?" he asked.

"Well, you're not going to kill this one. You're going to protect her," he explained and Hugh raised an eyebrow, thinking that his master was crazy.

"My skills are made for _killing_ people, not _protecting _them," Hugh emphasized both words.

The old man just sat back on his chair and lit the cigarette. He took it out of his mouth and blew some smoke before tapping the butts on the cigar tray. "Still the same thing to me," said the old man. Hugh winced his eyes, he always known that his master was weird but to the extent of stupid was not what he had in mind.

Hugh took the file and opened it. His eyes widen immediately as he recognized the face on the picture that was attached to it. Hugh looked troubled. The picture was that of a cheery girl. She had long honey brown hair wrapped in two pigtails, sky blue eyes that seemed to draw anyone in with just a look, and a smile that held no scheme behind it. She wore a visor in between her pigtails which Hugh thought was odd but it still fit her, a white and blue blouse with a v-neck, a yellow mini-skirt, and black leggings that reached from her thighs to the bottom of her shoes that were Nike.

Hugh immediately backed away from the picture. "Mei? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH HER?!" Hugh's angry voice echoed the room and there was a silence that followed after that. Hugh's troubling stare stayed fixated on his master. Only the flickering of the flames from the candle and the ticking clock was the only sound.

"Like I said, protect her," the old man said casually as he blew more smoke into the air.

"I won't accept this mission without a reason," Hugh stated defiantly.

The old man smirked and sat up from his leaning position. He placed his hands together on the table and looked at Hugh. "I thought my most loyal one would accept it without reason," he said.

Hugh clenched his fist. He didn't deserve to protect anyone. He's taken so many lives, broken so many families, how can he finally protect the one that he loved since childhood? That idea seemed impossible since he firmly believed that he was born to kill, not protect.

"You always have your guard up when we talk about her but you have no problem killing the other girls," said the old man. Suddenly, his eyes looked forlorn as if he lost his spirit in a faraway place.

"And if I kill her?" Hugh asked.

"Then your death is guaranteed," he answered.

"And why are you so protective of her?" Hugh asked. "You didn't even freaking meet her like you did with the other targets and my death is guaranteed if I hurt her," Hugh said, his guard was always up even now.

The old man mumbled something and Hugh heard it. His eyes softened at his answer and he bowed.

* * *

Mei scooped the salmon and flipped it. It sizzled as she spiced it with sea salt and black pepper, she also added a bit of chicken powder and bits of friend garlic. Satisfied, she turned the knob and the fire was off. The salmon was still sizzling on the pan and she moved it to a clean plate. One of the elders at the orphanage helped take the food to the main dining table of the orphanage where the four kids and were ready with their mouths drooling for food. Mei held back her laughter at how hungry then were.

Once, she set all of the plates on the table with the a side for rice, she cut the pound of salmon and took away all of the bones, making it boneless and into chunks of small pieces.

"Dinner's ready!" Mei exclaimed and immediately the kids lunged at the salmon, avoiding the vegetables on the table. "Ren, Anna, Krad, and Jin," Mei looked at the plates of untouched vegetables. The four year old children looked at the broccoli and groaned. Then, Mei, came up with an idea.

"Everyone, come to the kitchen!" Mei exclaimed and the kids happily jumped off their seats and raced towards the kitchen with Mei following behind them. She took the plate of broccoli and took out a plastic cut board. The kids watched in amazement as Mei chopped the vegetables and some of them wanted to try it too.

"No, you can't! That thing could hurt you!" exclaimed Jin as he held back Ren.

"No, Anna, I won't let you get hurt!" Krad held her back.

Mei immediately laughed and told the kids to go to the fridge. "Take out the type of cheese that you want," she instructed.

All of the kids headed to the refrigerator and opened it with their tiny bit of strength. The kids wondered how cheese looked like until they saw a section for it. There were at least ten different types and the kids drooled when they saw it. Mei came up behind them and took all of them out. She placed all of them on the counter of the kitchen and let the kids pick which one they wanted.

Ren went with cheddar since he always liked the color white. Anna picked Swiss and wondered how that tasted like since it looked like an orange to her. Krad was the plain and simple type so he went for the general cheese. Jin picked American cheese and stared at the holes in each packaging. "Onii-chan, was this white thing suppose to have holes?" Jin asked innocently.

"Yes, that's how American cheese is made," Mei said. "Each one would taste different so be sure to share!" Mei exclaimed as she filled four bowls with chopped broccoli and added a bit of olive oil that she found in some cabinet and sprinkled each with black pepper and sea salt.

Krad and Anna were amazed by the grinder of both spices and wanted to try it out. Mei gave them each the grinder and they started adding a little bit of each by twisting the cap of the grinder to let the spice settle in.

"I want to try too!" exclaimed Jin and Ren at the same time.

"Everyone is going to get a turn!" Mei exclaimed. Soon, everyone were playing with the grinder and Mei had to take it away from them since they were adding a little bit too much on their food. The children helped pour each other the milk even though it was a little bit more than half. Mei was melting butter and spreading it all over the pan.

Soon everyone was mixing ingredients in four different pots that occupied the whole entire stove and Mei made sure that none of the kids touched the pot or got close to the fire. She helped with the rest and soon the broccoli cheese soup was finish. Each kid took a sip of the other before finally drinking their own and finishing their plate.

Soon, dinner was finish. Anna and Ren kissed Mei on the cheek goodnight while Krad and Jin hugged her goodnight. The kids brushed their teeth while playing around with each other before Mei finally tucked them to bed. As she was about to go to the restroom and clean herself up, the manager of the orphanage came bursting into the room carrying a bruised teenager boy.

_**Translation: **_

_**Yakuza: a simple term that means "nothing" in Japanese. The term originated from a game but eventually was used for the underground of Japan. Just like the American Mafia and the Chinese Triads, the Japanese Yakuza is the equivalent of these two. People of the Yakuza are known when they were full body tattoos or have a chopped finger. **_

_**Onii-Chan: means "older sister/brother" in Japanese. Another term for this would be 'Aniki' but this is considered rude in Japanese society. **_


	2. Stained 2: First Day

_**In Which the Yakuza is a Lover**_

**Stained 2: First Day **

Hugh's mouth was suddenly covered by another large hand. He stared at his master who did nothing and pounded against the hand of the person. Finding it futile, he elbowed him with all of the strength that he had and executed a back kick at the hidden man's chest. The man stumbled backwards before regaining his balance and charged at Hugh.

Hugh wondered why his master wasn't stopping this person. Since he was thinking of something else, Hugh was immediately caught off guard by the steel arm that slammed against his face. With that, he blacked out only to see a pair of golden eyes looking at him with pity.

When Hugh woke up, he was greeted by his old companion, the darkness, and he was laying on a futon. He turned his head only to be stung by pain. Hugh gently lifted his hand and touched the side of his face, apparently, it was bandaged by someone...He turned towards the person who slumped against the side of the bed.

Hugh's heart quicken at the sight of the familiar girl. Mei, he thought and gently smiled. He wanted to get up but he found that he couldn't since his chest was also bandaged and was dressed in comfortable clothes. He wore a white t-shirt and a pair of black pajama pants.

Hugh figured that someone battered the pulp out of him while he was unconscious and that was dirty. It was already dishonorable enough to sneak up on him while his master was doing nothing and beat the carp out of him but to bruise him up while he was asleep was even more feigning.

He clenched his teeth in anger, finding the person with the golden eyes and the other person who he wasn't even sure who beat him up was on his list of priorities now. What was strange was that his master let them beat him up. His master and he was the most loyal pupil to him, just let those two or maybe it was the only golden eyed man beat him up.

It infuriated him but he kept his cool and looked at Mei, instantly, his anger was blown away. Even though it was dark, Hugh was able to make out her features. Her hair was down and it rustled gently against the wind from the open window.

She was peaceful and beautiful in her sleeping state. Hugh remembered an old memory. He would always watch Mei when she fell asleep on the grass when they went stargazing together. None of their parents were awake at that time and Mei was excited to see the stars that night.

This was just like that time instead he was laying on the futon with bruises all over his body while watching the person he loved sleep contently.

Hugh slightly turned his head enough to see the window. He was surprised to see the sun rising and then his thoughts drifted back to Mei. _It was only a few minutes ago that she was asleep. How long was she awake?_ Hugh thought.

His heart warmed at the thought of Mei standing by his side and tending him while he was unconscious, maybe, everything wasn't that bad, at least he got to see Mei for first time in several years. It was refreshing actually.

Hugh let his hands move on their own. He tapped on Mei's shoulder, she slowly opened her eyes and Hugh was instantly drawn to those sky blue eyes of her. "Mhmm..." she groaned and rubbed her eyes of sleep. "Y-You're awake," she managed out as she stretched her hands and looked at Hugh with a sleepy smile.

"There's the sunrise," Hugh said instinctively but immediately covered his mouth after what he just said. He couldn't make himself known to her right away. It was too much of a risk and he didn't want to break Mei's heart like that time. The time when he left and didn't even say a word.

* * *

Mei looked at the sunrise, wondering how this stranger or built man who got bruised all over the place knew that she liked the sunrise. She watched as the sun slowly raised, signaling the start of a new day. "It's beautiful," she said and the bruised up stranger just meekly nodded his head.

Mei suddenly felt her mind trigger something but she couldn't quite step on what it was. She looked at the stranger who was painfully moving his head towards the window to look at the sunset. He looked familiar, somehow. She didn't know but he just did. She seen those crimson eyes before but it looked different from back then.

_Back then? _Mei thought. _I don't think I remembered this person back then._

"Anyway," the stranger said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"What is this place?" he asked, it was only natural that this stranger know where he was.

"Oh, you're in an orphanage," she answered.

She could feel his whole body go steel cold.

"Is there anything wrong?" she asked.

"No, nothing," the stranger answered.

"There's got to be something wrong if you just froze like that," Mei said.

"It's really nothing," the stranger said, waving it off. If the stranger didn't insist on telling her, it was his choice.

Anyway, they should get something to- BURGORWLLWOWOWHWWOOW.

Both of their stomachs growled at the same time. The stranger and Mei looked at each other and started laughing. To Mei, it has been a while since she laughed like that and it felt like she let everything out for once.

"Mei! It's time to make breakfast for the kids!" shouted an elder's voice.

"That's my cue to go. I'll make your breakfast so you better stay fastened to your bed!" Mei exclaimed and ran out of the room.

* * *

Hugh was deep in thought when Mei was out of the room. He was in a panic when he heard the word 'kids' but remembered that this place was an orphanage so those kids must have been orphans.

"Onii-chan! I want sausages with my scramble eggs!" yelled a kid's voice. It was a boy, Hugh assumed.

"Me too!" yelled another voice.

"Okay!" Mei exclaimed as Hugh heard the sizzling of the sausages and eggs being flipped.

An elder lady came in with a tray of food and water. She looked at Hugh as if he was suspicious but her eyes were warm at the same time.

"Are your injuries alright?" she asked as she placed the tray down next to him.

"Yes, ma'am," Hugh answered as he gently took the tray and placed it on his lap.

The woman squinted her eyes at him.

"You seem to have manners. Why were you beaten up yesterday?" she asked.

Hugh was appalled by this question and cleared his throat. He had to make a lie but nothing came out of his mouth. The woman looked at him understandingly. "It seems to be personal," she said.

Hugh silently let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, ma'am."

"After this, we would bring you back to your parent's home," she said.

Hugh lowered his head. "I don't have a home or any parents," he said. _I was taken in by the Yakuza at the age of 7, _Hugh thought.

"Then...where have you been living this whole time?" the woman asked and Hugh slightly shifted uncomfortably.

_I shouldn't say I was beaten up by some random guy and then dumped on the streets to assume I'm an orphan, _Hugh thought.

"Mrs. Aki! Breakfast is ready!" shouted Mei's voice and Hugh's heart pounded quickly. _Frack! Not now! _Hugh thought.

He looked down at his dish of scramble eggs and sausages. Hugh took a fork that laid besides the dish on the tray and put the scramble eggs to his mouth. A familiar feeling came back to him and he smiled contently. Hugh totally forgotten that the woman was there when she snapped him out of his thoughts.

"That's an idiotic smile you have," she said.

Hugh was surprised for a second before returning to his expressionless face. "The food just tastes familiar," Hugh said.

The elder raised an eyebrow, definitely suspicious of him. "I meant that it tastes almost like my aunt's cooking," Hugh said and then lowered his head. "But she's dead now."

An expression of sympathy showed on the elder's face. "I'm sorry," she said and Hugh shook his head.

"Mrs. Aki! You're dish is going to get cold!" Mei shouted and the elder struggled to stand up when Hugh helped her.

"Thank you," she said before heading towards the door and slamming it shut.

Hugh breathed a sight of relief. _I show be more careful, _Hugh thought before the image of the pair of golden eyes appeared in his mind. He clenched his fist at the thought of someone beating him to a pulp. It kind of insulted his pride and now he was going to get revenge on this person.

Mei burst into the room before Hugh started to plot his assassination. Both of them stared at each other for a moment before Mei went to her bed and picked up her bag.

"You have school?" he asked.

Mei smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, the school is nearby so there won't be a problem with walking home alone. Transportation has always been a problem for us."

"How about the kids?" Hugh asked.

"They go to the neighboring school. It's basically combined with mine's," Mei explained when she thought about it.

"That's nice," Hugh said. _I should protect her while I'm at it, _Hugh thought.

At the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his M-40A3's dormant form and smiled. Not like he planned on killing anyone but he felt reassured that his trusty weapon was there with him.

"Have fun," Hugh said. He looked at Mei's eyes and felt very drawn towards them. _Shack! Not right now! Damn heart! _Hugh thought furiously.

"Thanks! What do you want to eat?" Mei suddenly asked and this caught Hugh off guard.

"Food," Hugh answered immediately.

Mei giggled at his response and smiled.

"What do you want in specific?" she asked.

Hugh's heart was about to burst out of his ribcage now. This was so nerve wracking that he was losing face. "Rice with chicken would do."

Mei nodded her head before heading out of the room, that was now empty except for him and his dormant sniper rifle.

"Now time to do some investigating," Hugh said before moving his body to see if he was ready to go. Satisfied, he grabbed the black box that was his sniper rifle and got dressed in his own clothes that were oddly next to him.

Hugh headed out from the window and jumped from the ledge. "This is what you get if you insult a sniper's pride."

Hugh smirked before landing safety onto the ground and running off silently in the morning sky.

* * *

Mei yawned as she slumped on her seat in class. Some classmates gathered around her to ask how living in the orphanage was going and she gave them a thumb's up. "And something surprising happened too," she filled them in. She told them about Hugh who didn't tell her his name. Mei told them how badly bruised he was but he seemed calm like he was use to something like this and how he strangely knew that she liked sunrises.

Suddenly, Mei's best friend, Touko, appeared out of nowhere and hugged Mei from behind. "What's up little sis?!" she greeted happily.

Mei just smiled and hugged her back. "Doing great, big sis!"

Touko had dark brown hair and brown eyes, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she always wore the girl's school uniform that was a brown blazer and a white uniform and the guy's black pants. Touko didn't like mini skirts and Mei suggested that she tell the staff to give her a longer skirt but she said that she was too lazy to go through such a process.

She grabbed a chair and pulled it up against Mei's desk. "Hey, did you guys hear what happened on the news yesterday?" she asked.

Touko's eyes glinted with interest and Mei rolled her eyes as she knew what she was up to again. Those snipers. Mei looked out the window and watched the trees rustle but she listened anyway since they always caught her attention.

"Zero, he killed some fat man in a restaurant again," Touko said. "And of course his signature shot is always in the middle of the head! No one could be as precise as him!"

A few of the teens shuddered at the image of a bullet in the middle of the head. "Anyway, what happened?" one asked.

"Turned out that Zero was doing what he thought was good," Touko explained triumphantly. "Turned out the man ran a prostitution scheme and was a drug lord," Touko explained. "About a hundred men got arrested and the police don't know whether to arrest Zero or leave him be."

"So you mean a whole section of the Underground is busted?" Mei asked and Touko nodded her head.

Whenever Mei heard Yakuza and Underground, she always felt a strange connection to these words. She vaguely remembered that her father said something about someone in her family being part of the underground and she shuddered at that thought. She never met her that someone and never seen his or her face in any pictures.

A deep part of her wanted to meet him or her but she shook that thought out of her head. _You're not going to meet that person without getting a scratch, _Mei thought when the bell rang and class began.


	3. Stained 3: Krad and the Other Three

_**In Which the Yakuza is a Lover**_

**Stained 3: Krad and the Other Three **

It took a while for Hugh to finally go back to his former neighborhood. He breathed in the fresh air and stared up at the sky. Hugh took out his cellphone and dialed his master's number. It took him three rings to answer the call, that was just like the usual.

"Hello?" asked his master's voice.

"Sup," Hugh said monotonously as he kicked a can down the street.

"Hugh! How is the mission going?" his master asked.

Hugh winced his eyes, that voice of his sounded unusually fake. "Fine, actually I want to meet up with you."

"I'm free," he answered. "Where do you want to meet up?"

"At the restaurant near the station."

"Okay! I'll be flying there!" exclaimed his master before he hung up.

_There's something definitely off, _Hugh thought.

Hugh waited at the station until he finally saw the bulky man in a brown suit. "You're never going to change your suit, are you?" Hugh asked.

"Brown is my color," he said. "Anyway, let's go in."

His master ordered a parfait and Hugh went with the usual green tea. They both sat in awkward silence as Hugh tried to bring up the question until his master finally broke the silence.

"What did you call me out for?" he asked as he took a bite of his parfait.

"About the guy with golden eyes," Hugh said.

His master stopped his spoon midway. He put it back down on the parfait and looked at Hugh.

"What?" Hugh asked. "You basically let him beat me up."

"You cannot assassinate him, Hugh," his master said.

Hugh clenched his fist. Once his master made a decision, he was absolute.

"Rune is one of my pupils. I told him to beat you up," he admitted.

"You what!?" Hugh asked as he slammed his hands on the table. This caught the attention of some of the nearby customers. "You just let some random guy beat the heck out of me for no damn reason!" Hugh exclaimed.

"Are you stupid?" his master asked.

Hugh felt yet another insult at his already tattered pride.

"This was all part of the plan. Now, sit down," he said.

Hugh did as he was told and looked at his master incredulously.

"We had to make you look like an orphan so Rune had to beat you up. It was easier with a more believable story if you were just beat up and of course you don't have any parents," he explained and sighed. "And here I thought it was something serious."

"So, Hugh, no assassination on this guy, okay?" he asked.

"Y-Yes," Hugh answered hesitantly though he still felt disappointed.

"Don't worry about it. He's one of my pupils and I think you will come to like him if you were to meet him in person," his master winked at him.

That sent shivers down Hugh's spine.

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention," Master Shiro clasped his hands together.

Hugh raised his eyebrow. "What is it Master?" he asked.

"Protecting my granddaughter will be your last mission," he said nonchalantly.

Hugh froze before his eyes widened in realization. "No, no, you're lying," Hugh said, bewildered.

"You've earned your freedom and my trust, Hugh. You saved the lives of thousands of people who could have been broken mentally. It's only right that you get your break."

"Don't tell me you're releasing me from your services?" he asked, hoping that it wasn't true. Master Shiro has always been a father to him even though he was old. He was one of the few people to accept Hugh for who he was.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," he answered.

Hugh clenched his fist in sadness but he wasn't going to show any tears. It was all of a sudden that Master Shiro was going to release him from his services but he was happy to get his freedom in the weirdest way.

"Are you going to entrust Mei's life to me?" Hugh asked.

"Yes, let it be your lifetime mission," Master Shiro said.

There was a moment of comfortable silence as the two watched the pedestrians walking, running, and calling cabs to either meetings or go to work.

Master Shiro chinked his glass and Hugh looked at him. "Yes, Master?" he asked.

"One last drink before we part ways," he said.

"Yeah," Hugh causally said.

There glass cups tapped against each other and both drank their last drink. For the first time in a while, Hugh felt content with just the silence and the company of Master Shiro. Even though he felt a little sad for leaving his master, he knew from the very beginning that he had to protect Mei no matter what the cause.

* * *

Mei groaned as she was assigned to class duty, AGAIN. It was the second time in a week and Mei wondered why she was constantly picked when duty was given based on the order of the names.

"Why don't you just ditch class duty?" Touko asked as she fiddled with her phone in her seat. Her eyes constantly stared at the screen while talking to Mei at the same time. Sometimes, Mei wondered if she was even listening to her when they talked.

"Can you take over for me?" Mei asked.

"Huh, you never ask anyone to cover for you?" Touko looked at her skeptically as she lowered the phone from her face.

"Well, there is this new teenager in the orphanage and I need to find out what he likes," Mei said.

"I don't get it. Why do you always put people in front of you?" Touko asked.

Mei blinked her eyes. "I do?" she asked.

Touko sighed, obviously annoyed at her obliviousness. "Of course you do! Heck, now you even care for a stranger that you don't even know!" Touko exclaimed.

"I don't know," Mei suddenly admitted. She felt like she had to tell Touko what was bothering her all this time. "I really don't know anymore. I feel like I met him before but I don't know where." If there was someone to understand, it was going to be Touko of all people.

Touko put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's alright Mei. You'll get to know him little by little and hopefully your memories will start coming back to you. Just start out small by asking him questions and maybe try to throw in some questions about his childhood."

Mei smiled lightly and thanked Touko for her advice. "That's what friends were suppose to do but I still feel like I sound like an old geezer."

Mei was excused as she had work to do and Touko wasn't given the job instead it was given to another student that avoided school duty.

As Mei went to buy food in the grocery store, she had a tingling feeling that someone was following her. She looked behind her but saw no one.

Mei walked along the meat section and looked at all the film wrapped meats. A hand pat her on the back and Mei turned around to see a person with golden eyes.

He smiled at her and kissed her hand. Mei clearly knew that this guy was a player. "Hello, milady, would you help me in something?" he asked.

"No," Mei answered bluntly.

"I will offer you the best quality of the meat selection here," he said with a smile, trying to entice her.

"No, I cannot help you because I am busy. I also have someone to take care of so my schedule is packed today," Mei said.

Mei had a feeling that this guy meant bad business. It looked more like this guy had come to kill and rape her instead of show her the best meat quality.

Then, suddenly he smirked. "I'm Rune by the way, and I'm not going to do those kind of things that you're thinking," he said.

"Rune, what's your last name?" she asked. "It's a habit of mine to be polite so get use to it."

"Akatsuki," he answered. "But I want you to call me Rune."

Mei pouted and just sighed. "Okay, Akatsuki-kun, mind telling me what's with you coming up to me and all?" Mei asked.

"I just came to check up on you," he answered.

Mei looked at him questioningly. Then her eyes widened. "Are you a pervert?" she asked and pointed an accusing finger at him.

Rune scratched the back of his head with his eyes closed and one of his legs bent. "Uh-hum. Wait. What!? NO!" he exclaimed as he looked at Mei with eyes of shock.

"Uh-huh, now I'm going to go away for my own safety," Mei said as she went to the farthest section of the grocery store.

Rune just looked at her with the same shock eyes. _Shiro-sama, your granddaughter is very hard to deal with, _thought Rune as he falsely cried a huge pool of tears.

_Creepy guy, can't trust people these days, _Mei thought. She bought the quarter of meat, some vegetables, and snacks to the counter. She paid for it and left, hoping that the new orphaned teen would like it.

* * *

Hugh was just in time to not be caught by Grandmother Aki. His chest was pounding in his heart from running swiftly and silently and he got under the covers just in time for her to open the door.

Noticing that Hugh was resting peacefully even though he wasn't, she sighed and closed the door.

Hugh heard kid voices from the outside of the room.

"I want to meet onii-chan's boyfriend!" one of them exclaimed.

"No, we can't. That's an invasion of pivacy!" one of them countered back.

"I'm curious to how he looks," another calm one said and Hugh was impressed by how well he said those words without any mistakes.

Unfortunately, the door opened and Hugh could make out the kids' features from the light outside that filtered in.

One kid looked like a complete foreigner with yellow hair that waved to one side and had green eyes. He wore a simple baby blue shirt and brown cargo jeans.

The second one was a girl. She had brown hair in a pony tail and black eyes. She wore a simple flower patterned pink dress and blue furry sandals.

Another kid who looked like the calm type that impressed Hugh was staring at him intently. He had raven black hair and a blue eye. He wore an eye patch over his left eye and seemed doubtful of Hugh. He wore a frown along with a miniature version of a black school uniform and dark blue jeans.

One kid burst in with a pile of food. He seemed like the happy type and he had wild black hair and golden eyes. He wore a Pikachu shirt and striped patterned pajamas.

"Hello," Hugh hesitantly said.

"So this is how onii-chan's boyfriend looks like," said the one that burst in as he stuffed food in his mouth and looked at Hugh like he was watching a movie.

"Mei would not like someone like that. He's so beaten up," said the one with the eye patch. "Look at his face. It's like he got slammed with a hammer."

"Sharp tongue you have there, boy," Hugh said as he held back a small part of his anger. He knew he was going to have a hard time with this one.

"The name is Krad, stranger," Krad said as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms.

One of the other kids were in a daze. "Woahh...Onii-chan's boyfriend looks hargsang (handsome)!" she exclaimed and Hugh could see a tinge of jealously from Krad's eye.

"No, Anna! No strangers are ever handsome, got that!? The only handsome person there is me, okay!?" Krad determinedly said and Anna just nodded her head intently.

Hugh smiled. He knew where this was going.

"Onii-chan would be home any monutes (minutes)! Want to say 'welcome home' with us!?" one of them asked excitedly.

Hugh's eyes soften considerably. He was sure that even Krad noticed this since he looked bewildered by the expression on Hugh's face.

Hugh stood up and followed the other four out. As they walked down the stairs and towards door. Krad suddenly asked him something. "Do you know Mei?" he whispered loud enough for only him to hear.

"You're sharp for a seven year old, aren't you? Yes, I do know Mei from when I was little," Hugh sadly smiled.

"She never mentioned someone like you before. What's your name?" Krad asked.

"Hugh. Hugh Hiwatari."

Krad's eyes darkened and then returned to their original color as if he remembered something. "I heard of that name before but Mei never mentioned it."

"There's probably a billion Hughs' out there so it wouldn't be a surprise if you already heard that name," Hugh said as she scratched the back of his head. Good thing his covered wasn't blown yet.

The door opened and his heart started beating erratically. _Damn it! Not at this time you damn heart! _Hugh thought mentally as he tried his best to act normal.

* * *

Mei was amazed when she saw the unknown teen in visible light. His structure was refined and muscular. His black tank top exposed his arms that were well trained for fighting and his hands were calloused. He also wore baggy dark blue pants, probably to cover his muscular legs. Mei wondered if he was even an orphan.

"Welcome home!" shouted the kids and the teen just smiled.

Krad was the first one to come up to Mei and stuck his tongue out at Hugh like he was some kind of rival. He started giving commands and blushed whenever Anna walked over to him or gave him a hug.

"Mei and Hugh would be cooking dinner!" Krad exclaimed and looked at both of them. For a seven year old, Krad already knew the gits of life.

"Uh-huh," Hugh said as he smiled softly at Mei.

Mei blushed when their eyes clashed. Hugh's crimson eyes held a lot of sadness, anger, and bitterness, but she could also see some happiness and peace in his eyes.

"Let's go," he said.

The first thing that Mei learned was to never let Hugh into the kitchen. He was a horrible cook that literally burned everything in his way. Instead, Mei let him do the simple tasks, like cutting the veggies and boiling the water.

While waiting for the water to boil, she suddenly remembered the food that she bought for Hugh. "Hugh, come with me for a moment," she said even though it sounded like a question.

Mei led him down the hall and into the living room where all the bags have been placed. She took a black bag out and held it to Hugh. For some reason, she felt nervous and panicked when she held the food out to him.

She could see the shock in his eyes for a second before she saw a smile form on his lip. It was basically the first time she saw a soft smile from Hugh. She blushed and looked down at the floor, staring at anything but Hugh. Her words came out unnaturally.

"W-well, those were food that I bought. I wondered if you would like them so I bought one of each," Mei said as she curled her hair.

"If its something that you bought, I have no problem with it even if its a bitter melon," Hugh said.

Mei smiled at his words and Hugh looked in the bag. "Cheddar popcorn, shrimp snacks, Hershey bars, and Salt n' Vinegar," Hugh smiled as if he was remembering an old memory.

"They're all my favorites," Hugh looked at her and smiled. "Thanks."

Mei felt her heart ram against her ribcage. "N-No problem," Mei said as she turned around and awkwardly walked towards the kitchen. Her thoughts were filled with Hugh and his soft smile, for the first time in her life, she felt her face go really red.


	4. Stained 4: Not Your Very Normal Day

_**In Which the Yakuza is a Lover**_

**Stained 4: Not Your Very Normal Day **

Hugh waited outside and thought about a lot of things. He thought about Mei and whether she in this class or not, he thought about whether this Rune guy was going to be in there, and he thought about Krad and Grandmother Aki tripping him with invisible wire. Even though that never happened, he had a feeling that it was going to happen sooner or later.

Everyone stared at Hugh as he walked in. He did not expect so many eyes to be looking at him at once. Apparently, the school did not have many new transfer students so it was rare for Hugh to transfer in.

Hugh tried his best to act normal but he wasn't use to a small group of audience staring at him especially when he was a sniper working in the shadows. Snipers were the lone wolves of the battlefield and being stared at was not something that they wanted on their list of priorities.

"I'm Hugh Hiwatari. Nice to meet you all," Hugh said as he tried his best to act normal.

"Hugh!?" exclaimed a familiar voice. Hugh turned towards Mei. Her sky blue eyes shining as bright as ever.

Mei had a shocked expression on her face. "I didn't know you were going to transfer here!" she exclaimed.

The teacher looked at Hugh and then back at Mei. "So you two are already acquainted. That's nice. You're seat would be next to...Rune."

Suddenly, there was an awkward silence as the two men looked at each other. Their eyes were glaring at each other like laser beams ready to burst. "Thanks, sensei," Hugh said as walked towards his seat next to Rune.

The two kept an intense stare at each other for a long time.

"Hello," said Rune as he broke eye contact and looked back at his textbook.

Hugh felt his pent up anger raising. He wanted to release his anger on Rune who insulted his pride. Just when he was about to strike at him, Hugh remembered Master Shiro's words. _So, Hugh, no assassination on this guy, okay? _

Hugh lowered his hand and sat next his archenemy. Rune was causally writing away as he ignored the teacher's math lessons. Hugh was unknowingly doing the same as he took out his textbook and stared at the problems.

"Hugh, what's the answer to this problem?" asked the teacher as he tapped the chalk against the problem.

3(2x+4)=48

Hugh smirked. Something like that should have been taught in Pre-K. "X equals 6," Hugh answered.

"Would you mind explaining the steps," the teacher pointed out.

_That's easy, _Hugh thought. "You distribute 3 into 2x and 4 and get 6x+12=48. Then, subtract twelve on both sides and get 6x=36. Divide it by 6 on both sides and x equals 6."

The teacher merely nodded his head and went back to calling on students to answer more of the dreaded questions.

Hugh sighed and stared at Mei to get the bothering sensation of Rune off his back. He was instantly mesmerized at her hardworking form. She was staring at the math problem like it was the end of the world. Hugh unknowingly stood up and walked to her.

Staring down at her list of problems, Mei wasn't really good at math, that he could tell just by the look on the paper. There were a bunch of scribbles and x marks and circle marks that showed the questions she got wrong or completely had to redo.

Mei suddenly slammed her hands on the table, startling Hugh and the rest of the class. "Damn it! If this was English, I would have aced on the questions..." she looked around her and Hugh could see the embarrassment seeping through her veins.

"You know I'm here to help?" Hugh asked as he pointed towards the questions that she was currently working on.

The kids went back to work and Hugh took his chair and slid it to Mei's desk. "Do you know how to combine 'like terms'?" Hugh asked.

"No," Mei answered.

"Okay, you idiot, here," Hugh said. "Combine the terms that have the same letter. Then, do reverse operation for the number next to the equal sign."

Hugh watched as Mei did the work. He smiled when she did the first two steps correctly.

* * *

Mei felt instantly embarrassed when Hugh taught her. She didn't want to admit it but he was a good teacher. She could understand what he said in such a simple math language that anyone would want to learn from him.

Mei also felt her heart beat erratically and she wondered why. Ever since yesterday, Hugh had that effect on her whenever he approached or was nearby but right now he was staring at her intently. She wondered if there was something wrong with her clothes or if there was anything on her face.

"Mei...you got the third question wrong," Hugh said. She looked up from her sheet to Hugh. There goes that soft smile that he showed her again and it seemed that he only showed it to her.

That thought made her face go steaming red. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Sensei, I need to use the bathroom," Mei exclaimed and immediately walked out of the classroom into the bathroom.

She gently patted both sides of her blushing cheeks. _Damn it! Stop blushing whenever you see that guy! _Mei thought as she looked at the mirror.

Feeling relaxed, Mei did her best to act as calm as usual. _Okay, here goes nothing, _Mei thought as she entered the classroom to see Hugh surrounded by a group of girls. It came to her as no surprise since that was the destiny of a handsome guy such as Hugh, they always get the girls in the school, no doubt about that.

Sighing, the bell rang for lunch and the kids got out of their seats to talk. Some took out their bento boxes and started eating, others stood frozen in their seats reading different kinds of books, and the teacher was now absent from the front desk.

Touko sat across from Mei on her table and grinned at her. "New student is handsome? Don't you think!?" she asked eagerly. Mei sighed and turned her head towards the window. If she looked at Hugh again then it would be an increase in blood pressure and heart beats, she couldn't risk her heart exploding.

Touko leaned forward with a sly look in her eyes. "He's got a thing for you, don't you know that? He's been staring at you in class and even went to help you in your worst subject. That's got to hint something," Touko said as she nodded at her observation skills.

"He's not an idiot from the shadows," suddenly said a voice and Mei looked up. Her eyes widen at the sight of Rune looking at her. Mei stumbled backwards in her chair and pointed a finger at Rune. "P-perverted creepy guy from yesterday!?" Mei sounded scared as she asked the question.

"Hey! Could you stop calling me that!" exclaimed Rune as he walked up to Mei. She could instantly see the anger in his eyes being swept away when he looked at Touko.

"Hey, could I have your number?" asked Rune. It was obvious to everyone in the class that he was hitting on her.

"No, I will believe that what Mei said was true, you are a pervert!" she exclaimed.

"A pervert with a lot of mysterious qualities," Hugh added as he walked up to them.

"Hey, who told you to join the conversation?" asked Rune.

"Myself, now shut up," Hugh said. That got Rune to quiet down quickly. Mei could also hear the absoluteness and power in his voice, like he was trained right out of the military.

"Oh! I forgot I left something in my locker and since its heavy I should grab this guy to get it!" suddenly exclaimed Touko as she took Rune from the back of his collar and dragged him out of the classroom.

There was an awkward silence between the two until Hugh broke it. "So, uh, you're okay, right? You don't have a fever, do you?" Hugh asked.

Mei looked at him weirdly. She could see that he was fiddling with a large black box that probably contained something she didn't want to know and was looking at the desk. He was nervous for some odd reason.

"No, I don't have a fever. Thank you for being worried, Hugh," Mei managed a smile but the beating of her heart was speeding up now. "Did Grandmother Aki tell you to go to school?" Mei asked.

"Yeah, since I would be living in the orphanage for now on," Hugh said as he put the large black box away. For a second, she thought she saw a weapon hidden in its dormant form.

"By the way, Mei, are you going to do anything next Saturday?" Hugh asked as he scratched the back of his head. Hugh was blushing and even his ears were red.

"No, why?" she asked. Mei felt a tugging feeling that she was being asked out and this was her first time being asked out. She felt unusually happy for some odd reason.

"No, uhh, I just thought that maybe we could hang out in the park together. Cause you see, autumn is arriving and the trees are changing color. I thought maybe you would like to come?" Hugh asked as she finally realized he was waiting for her answer.

Mei giggled and smiled at Hugh happily, for some reason, she felt very happy to be asked out by Hugh. "Sure, why not? I don't see any problems in that!"

* * *

Krad debated whether to trip Hugh with invisible wire with the help of Grandmother Aki or just plain investigate him. He was suspicious of him since yesterday and he also said that he knew Mei when he was little. Then how did the guy end up here, in the orphanage? The strangest part was how the heck did Hugh even manage to survive for the pass...how many years?

Krad sighed, he was beginning to have a headache from all the thinking and when he opened his eye to see Anna playing with the fallen leaves, his breath was taken away. Krad was the newest orphan in the orphanage until Hugh came along. The moment Anna saved him, he fallen for her.

The way she smiled like she didn't have a single care in the world. The way she held out her hand on that rainy day when Krad was struggling to get warmth and she taken him in. Ever since then, he was protective of the people of the orphanage because they were filled with warmth. The kids in the orphanage didn't care that Krad was wearing an eye patch. They only wanted a new friend to play with and maybe someone as close as a sibling.

Krad was especially protective of Anna since she was the first one to save him from hypothermia. She cast the light in his dark world and was a pillar of hope in his eyes. To him, her existence was the most important and he would do anything to protect her from danger.

"Krad, stop spacing out! We're going to play tag without you!" Anna exclaimed and Krad just gave a split second smile before descending the steps that he was sitting on and joined Anna in tag.

For now, he felt very content even if his love was unrequited.

* * *

Touko and Rune walked home together. Rune was getting nervous. Touko kept on glaring at him like he was some kind of horrible leech. Basically he was one, on multiple girls of course. He had a girlfriend in Okinawa, another one in Hokkaido, another one in Shibuya, and another one in Odaiba. Rune was basically cheating on all of them since he was going out with all four of them at the same time.

Rune had to admit it but he didn't really like any of them. He haven't even kissed them yet, he was either cold to them or just following them without holding hands.

"Look, Touko, I have to go home soon-" Rune was cut off by another intense glare.

"I don't want to hear your babbling, Rune," Touko said as she clenched her fist, possibly resisting the urge to punch him in the face. If she did, then he would dodge since his reflexes were pretty good considering the training he got from the Shiro Clan.

"If you make a move on Mei, you're going to ask for hell!" exclaimed Touko.

"What?" Rune asked. "She's still single, right? I could make a move on her however I want."

"I'll slash that beautiful face of yours so that you're girlfriends would never notice you again," Touko smirked.

"Here's a fun fact, RUNE, the Number 1 most hated thing on my list are players. So you, _thing,_ would rather cut it out and let those two be or I will destroy that face of yours, got it?" Touko asked with such demand that even Rune got scared. What was more horrifying was the evil smiled to add emphasis.

Rune was actually more concerned for Hugh than Mei. He remembered something that Shiro said. _Hugh, that kid got a dark past. I took him in when I went to check up on my son. That day my son died, and only my granddaughter was able to live. He seemed so shaken up, like he did something wrong. His face was covered in soot. Rune, that kid...that kid took the blame of killing every single member in __the house__. He was especially depressed to the bone when I mentioned Mei. Whatever you do, make sure Hugh is able to live on without the fear of that person._

But Rune wanted to know what person. Whenever he mentioned it, even Master Shiro seems hesitant to tell. _You'll know, you'll know when you see the fear in his eyes. _

Master Shiro stopped it at that. He didn't say anymore. He could tell that even Hugh's past seemed hard for him to handle.

"Could I walk you home?" Rune suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Touko looked at him skeptically.

"I'm no pervert. Mei only claims to think that I am one," Rune said.

"Whatever. There's no one at my house anyway so I think I could use some company," Touko said as she continued to walk pass Rune who followed along.

His thoughts unexpectedly drifted towards the girl in front of him and for the first time, Rune was blushing.

* * *

Hugh pumped his fist into the air. He was looking forward to next Saturday. His brain congratulated him on summoning his stupid courage after what seemed to be a few weeks of thinking about it.

Right now, Hugh was walking home with Mei but got dragged into the grocery store by her. He could see the skills put right into action when she examined the different fruits and vegetables. She knew which one was good or bad, unripe or ripe, sour or sweet, and she could tell just with a single look. Hugh watched her in amazement as she put a red apple with a few green patches in the bag.

"You're amazing," Hugh commented and Mei just nodded her head.

"What do you want to eat? I'll buy it for you," Mei said.

"Let's see...anything you pick would do," Hugh answered.

"Uhh...this?" Mei asked as she held out a Pocky Vanilla Covered Cream Biscuit Stick Package.

How Mei knew that Pocky was one of his favorite brands? He did not know but he was feeling happy so he just nodded his head anyway.

After half an hour of shopping, Hugh and Mei finally made it back to the orphanage with Hugh carrying most of the things. It didn't bother him since he was use to carrying a thirty pound sniper rifle and something like this would have been child's work.

Hugh stuffed most of the pork and some of the veggies into the fridge. Mei went to cook the dinner for the kids. As he turned around, he suddenly tripped on something, he felt it but when he looked to see what it was, it wasn't there.

His sniper instincts unknowingly came in. He looked around for any signs of movements until the light reflected against the invisible wire that there were two people hiding behind the wall. Hugh sighed and got up. He followed the light of where it reflected against the wire and walked until he was in between Grandmother Aki and Krad.

"Damn it! Mission failure!" shouted Grandmother Aki.

"But we still tripped him," Krad said.

"I rest my case," Hugh said and turned around to stop himself from bursting out and laughing. He wasn't a masochist of course but the look on both of their faces were so hilarious.

Then, Hugh realized for the first time, that it had been several years since he had the urge to laugh so truly.


	5. Stained 5: Perfect Family Sickness

_**In Which the Yakuza is a Lover**_

**Stained 5: Perfect Family Sickness**

_Blood...Choking...Breathing...Shuddering...Screams ..._

Krad awoke with a start. His heart was pounding against his ribcage. His breathing was labored. He hated them, nightmares, family members, sometimes he wondered if his love for Anna was real or not.

Krad looked at the time. It was only five in the morning and his thoughts drifted towards Hugh and Mei. Even though he was seven years old, he wasn't stupid and could tell when there was a change. Mei was always blushing whenever she was around Hugh and the mysterious Hugh would always smile softly at her.

He wondered when those two became lovely-dovey. The thought made him snap and instinctively kicked a nearby soccer ball. Good thing the ball didn't hurt any of his buddies especially Anna, he really didn't want her to suddenly wake up and cry.

Krad had spent time with Anna more than the other two guys. Krad basically knew Anna more than them. The one secret that the Jin and Ren didn't know was that Anna had a phobia against ghosts. Anna even told him that when she was little, she always heard the doors shuddering, the wooden floors creaking, and the wind howling, and occasionally she was paranoid enough to see a ghost. The thought sent shivers up his spine as he thought about a ghost, scary floating beings that had hallow, shadowy eyes, wearing a purple cloak and appearing out of nowhere holding a knife and stabbing people with it. Yep, that was his image of a ghost and it would never change.

After staying in his bed with a few moments of frustration, he finally sighed and willed himself to get up and get out of here for a while. Krad would always cool down against the breeze of the fresh city wind and the raising sun. Hopefully, he would get Anna to see the sunrise with him someday. He swore it on the River Styx.

After silently getting dressed and hopefully not waking anyone up, Krad opened the door of the orphanage and was surprised to see a familiar figure sitting on the front porch. The familiar crimson eyes were staring at the sky like he regret something about his past.

Curious, Krad walked up to the guy, no doubt that it was him, Hugh. Even without turning his head, Hugh already knew he was there. "Morning, Krad," Hugh said as he turned around and gave him a sad smile. That was strange, usually, Hugh would be happy in his weird way. Apparently, he must have eaten something bad or dreamed of something bad.

Krad sat down next to him and was surprised to find himself pretty much at ease with Hugh. "What are you doing so early in the morning?" Krad asked.

"Couldn't sleep, needed some fresh air," Hugh answered but Krad knew that that he was holding something back with the tone of his voice. "How about you?" he asked.

"Same here. Stupid nightmares are so annoying," Krad answered distastefully at the thought of those nightmares.

"Uh-huh," Hugh said as he rested his chin on his hand and watched as the sun began its slow raise. "There's something wrong with you today," Krad said.

Hugh turned to him and smirked. "Don't you find that there is everything wrong with me being here?" he asked.

"What?" Krad asked.

"Don't worry about it. I have a duty to do," Hugh answered. "Since we have an hour before the rest wakes up, wanna go for a walk?"

Krad found himself nodding at his question. Both of them walked in silence, none of them dare breaking the comfortable silence.

"So, how's your relationship with Anna going?" Hugh finally asked.

Krad stared at him. He was pretty sure he wasn't that obvious. He always made sure that his emotions were in check and if he even burst out saying something weird he would cover it up immediately. Then, he saw the smug look on his face.

"Your face got a burst of temperature. About 3000 degrees Fahrenheit," Hugh remarked.

"My relationship with Anna has nothing to do with you and my face being so crimson!" Krad exclaimed.

"Why don't you just get her?" Hugh asked.

"That's impossible. I am not of the age of dating yet and I'm not sure if she really likes me and-" Krad was cut off with the sudden seriousness in Hugh's eyes.

"When you're in love, nothing like age or size matters..." Hugh said.

Krad watched Hugh as he looked at the horizon, the sun getting up overhead now. Krad didn't want to admit it, but even from a guy's point of view, Hugh did look kind of manly in a beautiful way. His hands in his black jeans pockets, his chest sticking out against his black tank top, and his face shone by the light of the sun.

"Now I get why every single girl falls for you," Krad said.

Hugh looked at him like he had two heads. "That's impossible, Krad. My heart only belongs to..." he stopped midway and Krad finished for him. "Mei."

Hugh nodded his head. There was no point in denying it after so many hints that Hugh dropped. "Yeah, size and age don't matter when you're in love," Hugh said. He was going back to the topic. "Make your moves while you still can. I don't want you to end up like me."

With that, Krad was in deep thought. Both of them didn't say anything after that. In a way, he was surprised that Hugh actually had a lot of hidden knowledge. He was especially knowledgeable about love and that was scary since Hugh didn't look like the type that cared about love.

* * *

He opened the door to the orphanage. Hugh hoped that Krad would forget about what he said. Apparently, he almost got his covered blown, _again. _

Hugh ran up the stairs and into his room. He slammed the door shut with beads of sweat sliding down his forehead. He didn't like nightmares and hallucinations. He hated all of them. Of course he was sure that the whole world was against these two almost similar curses.

Flashes of the nightmare came back to him. His stupid brain just had to review it in his mind again.

_Hugh felt the whacking of the belt. He hid to the nearest corner and behind a pile of rubbish. He would rather cover himself in garbage then get hit by a belt. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN THERE BOY!? YOUR FUCKING PUNISHEMENT ISN'T OVER YET!" screamed the man as he lunged at Hugh with the belt. _

_Hugh took the nearest item he could find, a soda can, and threw it at the man. Luckily, his incredible aim bought him some time. The man was face first on the floor and Hugh carefully slid pass him. No such luck, the man's hand grabbed him by the knee and flung him to the ground. That was when Hugh finally retaliated. _

_He kicked, punched, grabbed the man's hair, and elbowed his head from above as his feet clung to his neck. "GET THE FUCK DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHI-!" He was cut off as Hugh punched him in the mouth. For a five year old, the punch was strong and solid and knocked out the man. _

_Hugh knew that he was passed out. He carefully walked as to not feel the pain of his wound and silently climbed up the stairs. _

"HUGH! Breakfast is ready!" shouted Mei from above and Hugh snapped out of his flashback. He held himself against the wall with labored breathing and sweat sliding down his forehead at a fast rate. A knock on the door almost made him stumble to the ground.

Mei opened up and poked her head in to see what was wrong. "Hugh, you're very clumsy," Mei commented as she helped him up and touched his forehead. "You have a fever."

Damn it, Hugh thought. _Just perfect. _It always happened, something like this was as typical as ever. Whenever he got nightmares and hallucinations that was when he was going to go to haywire mode. He was going to start with excessive perspiration and then heavy breathing and then the annoying headache comes in.

"You won't be able to go to school today," Mei said. Hugh didn't bother to argue. Having a headache was worst than killing someone.

"Yeah," Hugh managed out.

Just when Mei was about to leave, he held her hand tightly. He unknowingly said something that made the both of them blush. "I want you here."

* * *

The moment Hugh said those words, she blushed deeply. The difference between want and need is that need is that you have no choice and you must do it but want is that its your choice if you're going to stay or not.

"O-okay," Mei answered as she lowered her head to hide her blush. From the corner of her eye, the vulnerable Hugh smiled at her and suddenly pulled her close.

A few moments later, Hugh's heavy breathing eased and it was replaced with soft breathing. Mei looked at Hugh and almost jumped back at the approximately of their faces. Hugh, of course, was asleep but he had a steel grip. Whenever Mei tried to wriggle free, it only resulted into a tighter grip.

She tapped on Hugh's shoulder, hoping to wake him up. Looking at Hugh's peaceful and sleeping face triggered a fragment of a memory.

_The day was cool and fresh. The fresh breeze of air against her face made her smile. She looked at the boy lying on the rustling grass and smirked evilly. She knew that whenever he was in sleeping mode, he was vulnerable to all types to of attacks. She bent down near his ear and blew into it. _

_The boy suddenly jumped up stumbled on a random rock. Mei laughed at this. He always had that funny face on whenever he was startled or surprised. _

"_Scared you didn't I?" Mei tried to stifle her giggle but the scene kept on the replaying in her mind and it made her burst out laughing. _

_The young boy smirked and blush. She knew that he could never win against her in pranks. _

Mei bit back her lip and tried to stifle her laughing. She didn't know if it was going to work on Hugh or not but it was worth the shot. She bent down near his ear and blew into it with all her strength. Miraculously, it worked. He had the same reaction as the one in the flashback but this time he didn't trip on anything instead he hit his head against the wall.

"Ow..." Hugh said as he touched the back of his head and glared at Mei.

"W-What was that for!? I only get a peaceful sleep when I'm with you..." Hugh paused and suddenly realized what he said. He clicked his tongue and dunked his head under the covers of his blanket.

Mei took the covers off his face and touched his forehead. "You still have a burning fever, idiot."

"Says the one that sucks at math," Hugh smirked.

"Shut up!" Mei countered.

"I rest my case," Hugh said as he let Mei put the ice pack wrapped in paper towels on his forehead.

Suddenly, the doors slammed opened with an angry Grandmother Aki walking in. "Mei! What are you doing!? You are going to be late for school!" She exclaimed as she pointed at the time.

"Grandmother, Hugh has a bad headache and-" Mei was cut off when a panicked Krad ran into the room.

"Mei! All the orphans have headaches!" Krad exclaimed.

Mei looked at him with an expression of shock. "Grandmother, watch Hugh while I check on the kids!" Mei exclaimed as she followed Krad to the kids' room. All four of them sleep in the same room in separate futons.

Krad immediately ran over to Anna and grabbed her hand tightly.

Mei went to check on Jin and Ren. She touched their foreheads and checked the fever with a thermometer.

"100 degrees!" Mei exclaimed as she looked at the two kids with worry and anger. "What were you two doing yesterday to get this fever!?" Mei asked angrily.

The kids' breathing were labored and their foreheads were steaming hot. "Food," Ren drooled. "Lots of food!" he exclaimed.

"Me wanna have a poppy (puppy) made out of stucks (sticks)! So need to stay up late!" Jin exclaimed.

Mei face palmed. The duo were so hilarious, cute, and annoying that even Mei wanted to laugh if they didn't have a fever.

"Krad, could you get an ice pack so we could place it on their heads," Mei said.

Krad was hesitant and it didn't seem like he wanted to leave Anna's side. Mei placed a hand on his shoulder. "Anna is going to be okay," she said with a reassuring smile. Still, Krad was unsure but finally went to the freezer to get more icepacks.

Mei measured Anna's temperature. She tightened her fist when she saw the number on it. It was worse than Ren's or Jin's.

"102.3!" Mei's fist shook. She knew a headache like this was too dangerous for even Anna to handle.

Krad came running in with three ice packs and Mei helped place each on the forehead. "Krad, watch over them while I check up on Hugh and make sure neither of them gets out of bed! Especially Anna, her fever is the worst!" Mei exclaimed.

She ran into Hugh's room but was shock to see only Grandmother Aki there. "Where's Hugh?" Mei asked worriedly.

"He went to make drinks for the children," Grandmother Aki answered. "You also don't need to worry about him. Hugh gotten headaches before and took care of himself so he's able to handle it." Still, Mei wasn't fully convinced and rushed down the stairs to hear the sound of boiling water.

She peered in to see Hugh making tea for the kids and was whistling away like he didn't have a fever. "Y-YOU SHOULD BE BACK IN BED!" Mei shouted.

This startled Hugh as he dropped the tea bag and turned around. "Mei...it's alright. I've taken care of myself before when I have headaches. This is nothing."

"B-But still, what happens if you lose consciousness or faint or whatever?" Mei asked. She didn't know why but the tears were coming to her eyes. Hugh hugged her before the tears slid down her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mei. I didn't mean to worry you. It's just that..." Mei could see Hugh clenched his fist as if he was about to say something courageous. "You should depend on me more!" Hugh suddenly exclaimed.

Mei looked at him incredulously. Here, she was worried to death about him and he says that she should depend on him more! "You're the one with the fever, not me!" Mei exclaimed.

"My fever isn't as worst as the kids and by the way I'm pretty much use to them already," Hugh said as he picked up the tea bag and dropped it into the boiling water. "Also..." Hugh's eyes looked kind of sad. "You're working too hard and it could burden your body and cause you a lot of stress so...give me some of the load, okay?"

Hugh immediately turned his face and poured the boiling peppermint tea into four cups. "Here, take this to the kids," Hugh said without turning his head as he left two cups of tea on the table for Mei to bring up. Hugh was already on his way up the stairs leaving a confused Mei standing in the the kitchen.

* * *

Krad was surprised to see Hugh come in with two cups of tea. Hugh went over to Ren and Jin and ushered them to wake up.

Mei came in a few moments later looking kind of confused and happy at the same time. That was strange, she was being happy when Anna was on brink of death. She walked over to Krad and Anna and gave them the cups of tea. Anna struggled to get up and Krad wanted to hug her so no one could see her weak form, only him.

Krad drank the tea and was surprised at how calming it was. "W-Who made this?" Krad asked and Mei looked at Hugh. _Saved by the mysterious guy again, _Krad thought.

Krad looked at Anna and smiled when she showed signs of relief. "This tastes good," Anna weakly giggled and Krad agreed.

"He's amazing..." Mei said with such affection that even Krad was shocked. Krad then looked at the cup of tea in his hands and couldn't help but agree.

_Hugh, just what are you? _


End file.
